While Furhman captures the intensity with which Alex approaches every aspect of her life, Hadaway supplements with a rich sound design featuring the self-talk that takes Alex out of moment-to-moment living, and a sharp visual sensibility that starts from the very first overhead shot of Alex in a solo craft, its rotation resembling a compass searching for its north. Indeed, there’s a welcome lack of focus on the “why” behind Alex’s intensity, which allows the simple reality of her existence to capture our attention. Hadaway generally avoids overt markers for what’s behind Alex’s psychology, besides a history of self-cutting and an on-the-nose anecdote about her drive for academic achievement in high school. Furhman plays Alex Dall, a college freshman who tries out for the school rowing team, and immediately throws herself into a drive to be the best. (R) First-time feature writer/director Lauren Hadaway and a ferocious lead performance by Isabelle Furhman combine for a creepy character study of toxic competitiveness that falls just a touch short of completing its protagonist’s journey.

Phineas and ferb owca files imdb